Electric stop mechanism



(No Medel.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

W. M Woon se J'.v o. MILLER.

' ELECTRIC STOP MECHANISM.

(No'Mael.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. M. WOOD 8v J. C. MILLER.

ELECTRIC STOP MEGHANISM.

Patented Oct. 22, 1895..

q IIIIHHIIIIIIHI! Nrn STATES PATENT OFFICEl WILLIAM M. WOOD AND JAMES C. MILLER, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC STOP MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,280, dated October 22, 1895. Aspiration nea June v, 1894. sean No. 513,819. en man To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM M. WOOD and JAMES C. MILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Ohemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Stop Mechanism; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in electric stop or starting mechanism, the object of the invention being to produce means whereby to release devices constructed and adapted to transmit motion to other devices to stop or start the operation of mechanism quickly and effectually, said stop mechanism being constructed and adapted to be operated by the use of electrical devices so arranged as to be manipulated from various places more or less distant from the stop mechanism and the mechanism to be stopped or controlled. A Y Y A further object is to produce astop mechanism so constructed and arranged that it can be made to operate (from a distant point) to stop the operation o f the driving-power of an electrical generator and simultaneously shorteircuit said generator, so as to stop the ow of current from it over the line whether saidA parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis an elevation illustrating.,r our improvements. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are detail views. 6 are views illustrating certain modifications.

A represents a suitable base, on which a framework A is located, and in said framework a drum or flanged wheel B is revolu'oly mounted.

Figs. 5 andA The drum or flanged wheel B comprises a hub 1, a body portion 2, on which a cord orchain 3 is adapted to be wound, and diskst 5 at the respective sides of the body portion 2, said disks being about twice the ldiameter of the body portion 2 and produce flanges 6 6, between which the cord or chain will be wound on the drum or body portion 2, said anges preferably having the inner edges of their peripheries beveled, so as to properly direct the cord or chain between them, each coil winding over another.

, From the outer face ofthe disk 4, in proximity to its periphery, pins a project outwardly, one of said pins being held normally in engagement with a lug a on an arm b by means'of a weight c, attached to the cord or chain 3, the function of said weight being to cause the drum to revolve when released, for apurpose which will hereinafter appear. The arm bis secured to one end of a -horizontal shaft d, and the latter is loosely mounted in the upper end of a standard d', secured tothe base A. The arm b is made A-shaped, and the lugo', which projects from one edge of said arm, is flattened at its upper end to properly receive a pin a without liability of accidental displacement.

To the end of the shaft d one end of a lever e is secured, said lever extending from its connection with the shaft rst in a diagonal and then in a horizontal direction, and to the free end of the horizontal portion one end of a lever e is connected, said lever e being pivotally supported at a point between its ends. The levers e e are maintained in their normal positions, so that the lng ct on the arm b will be normally retained in proper position to receive one of the pins et by means of a comparatively light spring f, secured at one end to the lever e'and at the other end to the framework. By locating the lug at one edge of the A-shaped arm b the pins a on drum B will be permitted to readily pass the same during lthe revolution of the drum, the engagement of the pins with said lng tending to reset or move it in position to receive a pin ct on the drum. A drum'or flanged wheelB is also mounted in theframework'and is constructed in the same manner as the drum B, omitting the pins a.

'The drum B carries a gear-wheel g, adapted to mesh with and transmit motion to apinion g', carried by the drum B. A cord or chain h is wound at one end on the drum B', and after passing over pulleys h h2, carried by pulley-frames secured to the ceiling of the room in which the apparatus is located, the other end of the cord or chain is Wound on a drum or anged wheel B2, the construction of which is the same as the drums B and B.

The drum B2 is located immediately in line with the pulley h2 and is mounted loosely on the stem h3 of a valve. A hand-wheel z' is secured to said valve-stem in close proximity to the drum B2, and to said wheel a handleg is secured. To the shank of the handle j a lever j is pivotally connected and provided with a finger-barj2, normally disposed parallel with said handle. At the free end of the lever j a dog j3 is loosely connected and adapted to engage teeth (or perforations) on the drum B2. Thus it will beseen that the wheel i and drum B2 will be normally locked together, so that when the drum is rotated the wheel and valve-stem will also be turned and the valve closed or opened, the dog being retained in engagement with the drum by means of a spring c721. lVhen it is desired to manipulate the valve manually, the finger-bar 7'2 will be pressed to move the dog y2 out of engagement with the drum B2, whereupon the valve can be turned Without turning the drum.

From this construction and arrangement of p parts it will be seen that while the valve can be operated manually, still when it is not so operated the drum will always be locked to the wheel z', so that when the mechanism above described is operated the valve will be automatically closed or opened.

Guides 7o k are secured to the front of the framework A for the accommodation of a vertically-movable weight lo', said Weight being normally retained at the upper end of its movement by a tooth 7a2, projecting from an L-shaped lever Zo, said lever being pivoted at its upper end in close proximity to the tooth 7a2 to the framework A and at- Zc* is Weighted to insure the proper position of the tooth 7a2 to receive the Weight 7c when the latter is moved up to resist it. The lever k3 is normally maintained in position to retain the weight at the upper end of its movement by a pin Z, projecting from an armature-lever Z, the free end of said lever being adapted to normally engage said pin. Inv proximity to the armature-lever Z an electromagnet m is located and adapted to attract said armature, so as to move the pin Z out of line with the lever Z133, and thus release the Weight k. The electromagnet in is included in circuit with a suitable battery or other electric-current generator and circuit-closers located at any desired places. An electric bell nis mounted in the framework A and included in a normallyfopen circuit with a suitable battery and a circuit-closer n. The circuit-closer lnl' preferably comprises a metallic vessel n2, containing mercury, and a contact rod or plunger n3, the latter being operated by the lever.

From the construction and arrangement of parts above described it will be seen that when the circuit through the electromagnet m closed the armature of said magnet will be attracted and the weight 7c released, as above explained. The weight, being thus released, will fall upon the lever e and turn it to cause the lug a on the arm b to move out of the path of a pin a, projecting from the drum B, and thus release said drum. The drum B being released the Weight c will descend, causing the drum to rotate, which rotation will beimparted through the gear g and pinion g to the drum B', the rotation of which will cause the cord or chain h to be wound thereon and unwound from the drum B2, thus rotating the latter. The drum B2 being normally locked to the stem of the valve when it is rotated in the manner just described said valve-stem will also be rotated and the valve closed, (or opened, as the case may he.) The quick and accurate stopping of the engine may in this manner be assured, the apparatus being op erated by means of a circnit-closer located at a distant point. When the weight 7c strikes the lever e, the contact or plunger n2 will be made to move downwardly and make contact with the mercury in the vessel n2, thus closing the bell-circuit and causing the sounding ot' the bell as long as the Weight 7c' remains on the'lever e. Y

Instead ofthe form of circuit-closer n above described two contact-springs n4 may be se cured to the framework and adapted to receive the weight Zo between them, so that when the weight descends it will close the bell-circuit.

Instead of causing the mechanism above described to operate the throttle-valve of an engine, it may be made to operate a clutch or other device in order to stop certain machinery, in which case a drum B3 (similar in con struction to the other drums above described) may be secured to the lever o, which engages the collar o' of a suitable clutch and the cord h wound on said drum. In order to impart the proper motion to the clutch when the drum B2 is rotated, a pinion o2 is secured to the shaft or lever 0 and adapted to travel on a rack bar or segment o4, supported by a suitable standard 05, as shown in Fig. 4;. The shaft or lever o may also be provided with a wheel 06, by means of which to operate the clutch manually, if desired.

Instead of releasing the weight c for the purpose of starting the stop mechanism in the manner above described, the construction and arrangement of parts shown in Fig. 5 maybe adopted. In this form of the invention the lever e is secured to a shaft p, mounted in suitable brackets on the base A, and from said shaft an arm p depends through said base, said arm being provided at its lower end with a hook p2, adapted to engage a suitable loop IOO on top the weight c. When the lever e is turned by the engagement therewith of the weight lo', the arm p will be moved in the arc of a circle and the hook p2 withdrawn from the loop carried by the weight c, thus releasing the latter and causing the operation of the mechanism, as above explained.

It may sometimes be desired to work the apparatus on an open instead of a closed circuit, and this can be accomplished by the construction of parts shown in Fig. 6. The elec- 'tromagnet m and the L-shaped lever kswill be omitted, and the weight lo will be normally held at the upper end of its movement by means of an electromagnet q, said weight carrying an armature to be attracted by said magnet.

To the lever e a cord may be attached for releasing the weight c by a governor or by other means, if desired. The weight cis adapted t0 operate acircuitcloser r when itreaches the lower end of its movement. This circuit-closer may conveniently consist of a vessel r', containing mercury, and a spring-sustained contact rodor plunger r2, adapted to be made to make contact with said mercury by the engagement with said rod or plunger of an arm r3,project ing from the weight c, or 'by weight striking directly on top of plunger. An electromagnet s is included in circuit with the circuitcloser r and adapted to attract an armature s,pivotally supported in a suitable casing s2, secured to or below a switchboard s3. An L- shaped lever t is pivoted at its upper end in the casing s2 andadapted at its free end to support a weight t', said lever being retained vnormally in such position by the engagement of a pin 152 on the armature-lever s with a tooth t3, projecting from said L-shaped lever. A

A vertically-movable rod u islocated on the switchboard s3 and adapted to move in suitto one end, said lever being provided on its end nearest its pivotal support with a cam ory shoulder w and at its opposite end with a weight '02. At a point near the weighted end ot' the lever 'u a pin v3 projects laterally there from and is adapted to normally rest on a lug or pin projecting laterally from the arm U4`of a lever v5. The arm v4 projects at right angles from one end of the lever '05, and the latter is pivotally supported at one end at a` point directly beneath the pin o3 of the lever fu, the other end of said lever o5 being normally supported in a horizontal position by a lug '06.

w From this construction and arrangement of parts it will be seen that the lever 'o is normally supported in a horizontal posit-ion by the pin or lug carried by the arm fc4 of lever 'v5 and that should the latter be moved said lever n would be released. The free end ot the lever v5 has one end of a cord w attached thereto. The other end of said cord, afterpassing over a pulley w', mounted above the weight t', is connected to said weight.

Now it will be seen that when the electric circuit is closed through the electromagnet m, above alluded to, the mechanism will be set free and the throttle-valve ot' the engine or a clutch or other device will be operated and the machinery stopped. As the weight c reaches the lower end of its movement, the circuit through the electromagnet s will be closed, thus causing it to attract its armature to release the L-shaped lever t,and the latter being thus released the weight t will descend, thus turning the lever @5 on its fulcrum through the medium of the cord w. The lever Vv5 being thus turned, the lever n will be thereby released, as above explained, and the weight at one end thereof will cause said lever u to assume a vertical position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. As said lever v5 is moving to this position, the cam or shoulder fu will engage the lower end of the vertically-movable rod u and move the same upwardly, thus causing the arms u2 toengage the contact-plates or circuit-breaker tt, thereby short-cirouiting an electrical generator and stopping the supply of electricity to or from the translating devices on the line.

From the construction, arrangement, and operation of apparatusA above described it will be seen that our improvements are not only capable of stopping machinery quickly and eectually, but are also adapted to automatically short-circuit an electrical generator, so that when the apparatus is employed in the power-house of an electric railway or in an electric-lighting plant by the manipulation of a single operated circuit-closer not only will the engine or driving power of the generator be stopped, but the source ot' electrical energy will be also stopped.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an electric stop mechanism, the cornbination with a motor mechanism, the machineryto be stopped and a switch device connected with an electrical generator, of trip devices for releasing the'motor mechanism and switch devices and electrical devices constructed and adapted to operate all of said trip mechanism by the use of a single circuit closer, whereby to stop the machinery and cut out the source of electrical energy simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

2. In a stop mechanism, the combination with a shaft connected with the machinery to be stopped, and a drum carried by said shaft, a framework, a drum or flanged wheel car- IOO IIO

electrical circuit through said last mentioned electro-magnetic devices, substantially as set forth.

l0. In a stop mechanism, the combination with a revoluble drum, a cord or chain Wound on said drum, a Weight attached to said cord or chain and electrically controlled devices for releasing said drum and weight, of contact plates connected with the poles of an electrical generator, a movable rod, contact arms carried by said rod, a weighted lever pivoted below said rod and having a shoulder to engage and move ,the same when released, a trip-device for normally supporting said weighted lever, a weight connected with the trip device, trip devices for retaining said weight normally elevated, an electro-magnetic device for controlling said last mentioned trip device and a circuit closer included in an electrical circuit with said magnet, said first mentioned weight being adapted to automatically close said circuit closer, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ll. In a stop mechanism the combination with a revoluble drum, a cord or chain wound thereon, a Weight attached to said cord or chain and electrically controlled devices for, releasing said drum and Weight, of contact plates connected with the poles of an Aelectrical generator, a movable rod, contact arms carried by said rod and adapted to make contact with said plates to short-circuit the generator, a weighted lever pivoted below said rod and having a cam or shoulder to engage the same to move it, a trip lever pivoted below said Weighted lever, a pin projecting from the Weighted lever, an arm or pin carried by the trip lever and adapted to receive the pin on the Weighted lever to normally support the latter in a horizontal position, a Weight connected with the free en d of said trip lever, an L-shaped lever for normally supporting said weight, a tooth or shoulder on said L-shaped lever, an armature lever carrying a pin to engage said tooth, an electro-magnet for actuating said armature lever to release the L- shaped lever and Weight whereby to trip the trip lever to release the weighted lever, and a circuit closer included in circuit with said electro-magnet, the first mentioned weight being adapted to automatically close said circuit closer, substantially as set forth.

12. In a stop mechanism, the combination with a revoluble drum, a cord or chain wound on said drum, a weight connected to said cord or chain, and electrically controlled devices for releasing said drum and Weight, of mechanism constructed and adapted to receive motion from said drum to stop machinery, a movable rod carrying contact arms, contact plates adapted to be connected with an electrical generator, a pivoted lever weighted at one end and having a shoulder at the other to engage said rod and move the contact arms into contact with the contact plates whereby to short-circuit the generator, a trip device normally retaining said weightedlever in a horlzontal position, a weight connected with said trip device, a trip device for normally retain- 1 ing said weight elevated, an electro-magnetic device for controlling the operation of said last mentioned trip device, and a circuit closer included in an electrical circuit with said last mentioned electro-magnetic device, said first mentioned weight being adapted to automatically close said circuit closer, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof We have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM M. WOOD. JAMES C. MILLER.

Witnesses:

JoHN C. GALLAGHER, FRANK D. CROW. 

